How The Loyalists was founded.

[dysko]

After reading another thread I thought a how the Loyalist was founded thread would be appropriate... so here is my take. Feel free to disagree/ add stuff I left out.

So... here it goes (the abreviated version):

The Loyalists have very humble beginings in illicit behavior. It was made known that Salt Lake would be getting a expansion franchise in MLS. There was a press conference to make it all official. So many people made plans to attend. I said, in an online forum, that I would be wearing my baby blue Blitzz polo and told people to look for me.

So the big day came and the general public was turned away. However, I had some inside connections with the Checketts camp and was able to get into the PC. Loyal1 had made the drive with his son for the PC, but was turned away. So Loyal1 went around and found a back door in and got in on the action (this is the illicit part).

Loyal1 saw me and came over and started talking to me. It all snowballed from there. Loyal1 and I started organizing things. We had the first meeting at a now defunct restraunt at Jordan Commons and had several people show up. From there we used my contacts to start getting meetings with RSL big wigs and then the actual staff as they were hired on. We also held some meetings which drew more people.

Once of those meetings only had four people at it and that is where we decided to use Loyalists as a woking name (suggested by Czar Jake). The name stuck... especially after our GM used it in his speach when he was hired. It is a name we love.

As time progressed Loyal1 and I decided that we needed to set ourselves up as a non-profit. On the non-profit charter you need three names... so myself, Loyal1 obviously were not enough to get that done. Due to his involvement to that point we asked Czar Jake if he would be willing to become the third name. And then we became an official non-profit organization... which means that all money we take in goes back to those who are RSL supporters in some way.

At some point along the way... we decided that we needed to have some leadership beyond myself and Loyal1 so we held elections. Loyal1 was elected the first president of The Loyalists. We also had other officers elected at that meeting.

Over the next few months we organized some Loyalist activities with the drafts... obtained sponsors... pu together a gift for Kreis as our first player... got logo's and T-shirt designs and such. And here we are today...

There has been much colaboration from people to make this all work. And we hope that everyone takes ownership of The Loyalists... it will only make us stronger.

So depending on when and where you want to say the "official" founding of the Loyalists took place, you could identify several people as founders. According to the state of Utah it is myself, Loyal1 and Czar Jake. But there is absolutly no way we could be what we are now without the help of many others. Is it those who were at the first metting? Is it myself and Loyal1? Is it everyone who is a charter member (read a member during our first season)? Does it matter who the founders are? I am sure that my opinion would differ from that of some others, but I don't think it matters really who. I just matters that someone did. I am just gald that we have a supporters group to help channel our love for RSL.

[SoccerPrime]

That sounds more or less what happened.
Although I would think that the whole "creating the Loyalists via BigSoccer" was a much bigger even then the 1 line you mentioned. I remember chatting with you, Czar Jake, Loyal1 and others on BS a great deal before and after the Checketts announcement.

Of course, I am completely biased since until Neil created this wonderful forum, BS and email was ALL I ever saw of the club being created.

Thanks for posting the memories dysko.

[dysko]

Originally Posted by SoccerPrime

That sounds more or less what happened.
Although I would think that the whole "creating the Loyalists via BigSoccer" was a much bigger even then the 1 line you mentioned. I remember chatting with you, Czar Jake, Loyal1 and others on BS a great deal before and after the Checketts announcement.

Thanks for posting the memories dysko.

True there was a lot that happened online. The people who became the first few Loyalists were the people who had been the RAF (Blitzz supporters) before Real came to town.

Please continue to to add your recollections... in time perhaps I will harvest peoples recolections and actually write a more extended history on how The Loyalist were founded.

[Old Ska]

Originally Posted by dysko

At some point along the way... we decided that we needed to have some leadership beyond myself and Loyal1 so we held elections. Loyal1 was elected the first president of The Loyalists. We also had other officers elected at that meeting.

Interesting background info, thanks. I have a couple of questions:

Dysko, when and how did the change in your role from co-president to VP happen? The elections were last summer sometime, right? Were they for one year or multi-year terms?

[montgjules]

I didn't even know about BS but joined the action in the USLdiscussion Blitzz forum, which essentially only discussed RSL for a while. 🙂 Some of us talked about it at Blitzz games, too.

[SoccerPrime]

Originally Posted by montgjules

I didn't even know about BS but joined the action in the USLdiscussion Blitzz forum, which essentially only discussed RSL for a while. 🙂 Some of us talked about it at Blitzz games, too.

I remember posting on the Blitzz boards and some of the posters would get mad at me because I was talking about the "new kid in town".
In fact, I think Jules gave me some real estate advice right before RSL was announced.
Seems like a long time ago now, but it was only 1 year.

[Loyal1]

Originally Posted by Old Ska

Interesting background info, thanks. I have a couple of questions:

Dysko, when and how did the change in your role from co-president to VP happen? The elections were last summer sometime, right? Were they for one year or multi-year terms?

If I may respond while Dysko sleeps...

Dysko & I worked together and his prior internship with Sportswest was really useful.

It was a November 9th meeting that Trey attended and shared a lot of info that the fomal elections were held.

Here's an excerpt of minutes from that meeting:

o We voted unanimously to confirm Glenn Webb as our Loyal President. (For those who don’t know, Glenn is “maldini” at the USL forums, “Loyal1” at the realsaltlake.org forums, and “Blitzzfan” at the BigSoccer forum.) Glenn has been involved with Utah soccer for years, and was one of the main presences at the Utah Blitzz games standing and cheering and harassing players with the RAF. His long-standing association w/ supporting Utah soccer has already earned him the respect of many in this group.
o Steve McAfee (Lucky13 at BigSoccer) volunteered his experience to act as Treasurer for the group. The group approved this.

[Merrill]

Originally Posted by dysko

The people who became the first few Loyalists were the people who had been the RAF (Blitzz supporters) before Real came to town.

Not completely true. I was at that first meeting, and the only thing I know about the blitzz is that it was the technique the Germans used to conquer Poland. I just heard about it via BS. Lucky for me, I had to move away from a close proximity to the Earthquakes, only to find that they were putting a new team where I was headed. Isn't that nice of MLS?

[rabble-rabble]

I am simply amazed how fast the Loyalists have grown.

During the Blitzz years, the RAF (Radical Attitude Fans) usually had from 5-10 hardcore fans and a few stragglers at most matches. We had a single tattered banner to hold up during goals. Tailgates usually happened once a year (final match of the season) and generally consisted of a small table top grill and a couple of bottles of smuggled English brew.

I thought maybe when a few of us (eight, I believe) gathered around a restaurant table last fall, that this year we might get something like 30 to 50 people in our group by the end of the year, but our numbers have soared beyond my most optimistic expectations.

Now we are around a couple of hundred in attendance at most matches, make regular appearances on the TVcameras, have the famous CAR-B-Q before most games, our influence is felt throughout the stadium, and we are quickly becoming one of the larger and most vocal support groups in the league. We’re spilling over from our designated section into seating in adjacent areas and our corner of the stadium is simply rocking.

A lot of thanks are due to many Loyalists for everything from meeting with the FO to help establish an area of the stadium for crazy people like us, creating flags and banners, playing various musical instruments, organizing our tailgates, maintaining websites, distributing yellow and red ‘cards’, painting faces, and many other tasks. And thanks are due to all of us that show up and yell their heads off for the team, especially through recent losing streaks and goal-less streaks.

See you all Monday!


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[Aerick]

Originally Posted by rabble-rabble

I am simply amazed how fast the Loyalists have grown.

During the Blitzz years, the RAF (Radical Attitude Fans) usually had from 5-10 hardcore fans and a few stragglers at most matches. We had a single tattered banner to hold up during goals. Tailgates usually happened once a year (final match of the season) and generally consisted of a small table top grill and a couple of bottles of smuggled English brew.

I thought maybe when a few of us (eight, I believe) gathered around a restaurant table last fall, that this year we might get something like 30 to 50 people in our group by the end of the year, but our numbers have soared beyond my most optimistic expectations.

Now we are around a couple of hundred in attendance at most matches, make regular appearances on the TVcameras, have the famous CAR-B-Q before most games, our influence is felt throughout the stadium, and we are quickly becoming one of the larger and most vocal support groups in the league. We’re spilling over from our designated section into seating in adjacent areas and our corner of the stadium is simply rocking.

A lot of thanks are due to many Loyalists for everything from meeting with the FO to help establish an area of the stadium for crazy people like us, creating flags and banners, playing various musical instruments, organizing our tailgates, maintaining websites, distributing yellow and red ‘cards’, painting faces, and many other tasks. And thanks are due to all of us that show up and yell their heads off for the team, especially through recent losing streaks and goal-less streaks.

See you all Monday!


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Nice summary rabble-rabble! I was a "convert" of sorts. And am glad to add my voice to the hundreds that have joined the Loyalists this year.